PLANTING BULBS
A "MUST DO" CHORE FOR FALL
Mary Ann Walz

It’s hard to think of Spring when Fall has just arrived. But as gardeners, we must always think ahead to the next growing season while still doing gardening chores and tending plants for the current season. As the end of the garden approaches and frosts loom on the horizon planting, bulbs may be one of the last things on a gardener’s mind. But if you want the bloom of gorgeous bulbs to greet you in early Spring, you’ll need to plant them soon.

Many of the earliest blooming bulbs are much like wildflowers. Plant them once and forget about them. They will continue to come back year after year, increasing in numbers as they go. Wildflower iris are especially nice bulbs as they pop up very early. They are short so are not bothered by late snows or Spring winds. My favorites are a deep purple, Iris histrioides ’George,’ and Iris danfordiae, a bright yellow. The foliage of the wildflower iris is small so can easily be hidden by perennial foliage as it matures.

Daffodils are another great choice for nearly any area of the Southwest. The bulbs are toxic so deer, gophers, and other garden pests will not eat them. I have recently become enamored with Rip Van Winkle, a shaggy golden heirloom variety that used to be considered in the miniature class of daffodils. It gets to be about 6 or 7 inches tall and blooms in early to mid Spring.

Tulips are wonderful in the Spring but they re a favorite delicacy for rabbits and deer. If you have problems with either, it’s best to plant them in a walled patio or a pot. Being unaware of their desirability as a food choice, I once planted drifts of several hundred pink tulips in Eldorado (they were inside a coyote fence). Over the period of three years I had lots of tulip leaves and a single pink bloom that had somehow been missed by the bunnies who squeezed through the fence to dine. As tulip foliage is not exactly my favorite plant, I finally dug them out and have since enjoyed tulips on my travels elsewhere.

Bulbs are nice in large pots interplanted with early blooming perennials or annuals. You might even force some potted bulbs for extra early blooms inside the house or on a well protected sun porch. Plant the bulbs soon and keep them in a dark cold place for about 15 weeks until you see small sprouts on top. Bring them out and then enjoy blooms in a few weeks. Some of the smaller bulbs such as crocus and wildflower iris are great for forcing.